Austin Monthly: DESIGNING WOMENWITH A GRAMMY WIN, THESE SISTERS ARE OVER THE MOON

BY JULIA DUKE

Not everyone can say they’ve bested David Bowie, Jay Z and Metallica for a Grammy Award, but sisters Sarah and Shauna Dodds can. The talented duo behind graphic design firm Backstage Design Studio won the music industry’s highest honor for Best Recording Package with their album concept forReckless Kelly’s Long Night Moon, beating the aforementioned artists as well as the alternative music group Geneseo. The native Texans, who were nominated for the award in 2012 with another Reckless Kelly album, Good Luck & True Love, were shocked—and ecstatic—to hear the presenter utter their names. After making their way to the stage, the first words out of Sarah’s mouth were, “Holy crap, Cyndi Lauper’s here.” The 10-year-old studio, where Shauna, 34, is the “design maven” and Sarah, 33, is the “illustration goddess,” has a client list that includes Kris Kristofferson, Slaid Cleaves, Emily Bell and Wheeler Brothers. Long Night Moon, however, is special in that it marks the pair’s 100th album cover and has given the duo a career-making turn. “Once they called out our name, everything changed,” says Sarah. Now the phone rings off the hook, and the Dodds are swamped with requests. With only three people on their team, they’ve had to start a waiting list for their services. “It’s a great problem to have,” adds Shauna.